Jonah prays from the belly of the fish: 'Out of the belly of the netherworld I cried, and You heard my voice... They that regard lying vanities forsake their own mercy.' And the fish vomits Jonah upon the dry land.
Tap any Hebrew word to reveal its root, value, and meanings.
And Hashem prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah; and Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.
verse value 2874
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 57 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָה֙) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "fish" (דָּ֣ג, 2 letters) and the longest is "Jonah" (אֶת־יוֹנָ֑ה, 6 letters). 8 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jonah. Unique to this verse in Jonah (hapax): "fish" (דָּ֣ג), "great" (גָּד֔וֹל), "a swallowing" (לִבְלֹ֖עַ). The root דג appears 2 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 26x in Jonah). First appearance of the root מנה ("and·he·appointed") in Jonah. First appearance of the root דג ("fish") in Jonah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Jonah', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 8 words. Full calculation: וַיְמַ֤ן [and·he·appointed] (106) + יְהֹוָה֙ [Hashem] (26) + דָּ֣ג [fish] (7) + גָּד֔וֹל [great] (43) + לִבְלֹ֖עַ [a swallowing] (132) + אֶת־יוֹנָ֑ה [Jonah] (472) + וַיְהִ֤י [and·it·was] (31) + יוֹנָה֙ [Jonah] (71) + בִּמְעֵ֣י [in·bowels·of] (122) + הַדָּ֔ג [fish] (12) + שְׁלֹשָׁ֥ה [three] (635) + יָמִ֖ים [days] (100) + וּשְׁלֹשָׁ֥ה [three] (641) + לֵילֽוֹת [nights] (476) = 2874.
Rashi
A large fish. It was a male, and it was standing in spaciousness, and he did not devote his mind to pray. The Holy One, blessed be He, hinted to the fish, and it vomited him into the mouth of a female that was full of embryos, and he was there in a cramped space, and he prayed there, as it is stated, "From the belly of the fish." (And the LORD provided [vayeman]. Those sixteen days that Israel lacked from the manna, that they did not eat for forty complete years, this manna the Holy One, blessed be He, took and sustained the fish with, so that Jonah would not be digested in its innards, and also Jonah ate within it from this manna. Therefore it is stated, "vayeman," the letters yod-vav [=16] and mem-nun [=manna]. And likewise "vayeman" is stated of the gourd, which was consuming four omers; therefore it is stated four times, "vayeman." And in the Greek language, manna is called "kika," and concerning this it is stated, "kik-yon" [i.e., "kik" + "Yavan"/Greece]. Secret of uprightness.)
Ibn Ezra
And God provided -- like 'designated/prepared.'
And Jonah -- There is no power in a person to live in the belly of the fish [even] for an hour, and all the more so this number of days -- only through a miraculous act.
Radak
And the Lord prepared. The matter of prepared -- like who prepared your food. And God blessed be He prepared it for the moment, for at the moment that Jonah was cast into the sea, He prepared the fish that swallowed him, and he did not sink in the sea. And this was one of the miracles. And in the chapters of Rabbi Eliezer, Rabbi Tarfon said: the fish was appointed from the six days of creation to swallow Jonah.
Metzudat David
And the Lord prepared. He prepared the fish to swallow him immediately, so that he would not drown in the waters of the sea:
Metzudat Zion
Vayiman. The sense of providing or preparing, likewise "and the king appointed for them" (Daniel 1:5).
Malbim
"And the Lord provided a great fish." God prepared in this place a great fish that swallowed him whole and did not break his bones. And it is known that it is impossible for a person to live in the belly of a fish even for one hour, for a person needs the inhalation of cool air from outside. But since he was already sentenced to death and was considered as if born anew, God gave him the nature of a fetus, which is formed and sustained nine months in its mother's womb without inhalation of air, as Abarbanel stated. And this was one of the wonders of the Creator, like the miracle of Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah in the fiery furnace, and the like.
Then Jonah prayed to Hashem his God out of the fish’s belly.
verse value 913
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 29 letters. The shortest word is "Jonah" (יוֹנָ֔ה, 4 letters) and the longest is "and·he·prayed" (וַיִּתְפַּלֵּ֣ל, 6 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jonah. Unique to this verse in Jonah (hapax): "his·God" (אֱלֹהָ֑יו), "from·the·womb·of" (מִמְּעֵ֖י), "fish" (הַדָּגָֽה). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·Hashem" (root יהוה, 26x in Jonah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'his·God', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 2 words. Full calculation: וַיִּתְפַּלֵּ֣ל [and·he·prayed] (556) + יוֹנָ֔ה [Jonah] (71) + אֶל־יְהֹוָ֖ה [to·Hashem] (57) + אֱלֹהָ֑יו [his·God] (52) + מִמְּעֵ֖י [from·the·womb·of] (160) + הַדָּגָֽה [fish] (17) = 913.
Rashi
“His God” – He combined judgment and mercy, the merit of Abraham and Isaac. “From the womb of the fish” – this refers to Jacob. The secret of “straight paths.”
Ibn Ezra
And he prayed -- The commentators wanted to interpret [it with] novelty and took the verse from its plain meaning, [claiming] that Jonah only prayed after his coming ashore, because it says 'from the belly' and not 'in the belly.' But behold, they saw there it is written 'from the belly I cried out' and so 'from the depths I have called You, O LORD.' And furthermore: the word 'I cried out' indicates that he prayed and cried out to God before the fish vomited him, and so: 'and my prayer came before You.' And now why was it not written 'and Jonah prayed after his coming out from the belly of the fish'?! And furthermore: after his prayer it is written: 'And the LORD spoke to the fish,' and He brought him up on account of this distress, because of 'my life was brought up from the pit' and 'my prayer came to You.' And now pay attention and see that every prophet's prayer and blessing is in the spirit of prophecy. And Jacob said: 'I took from the hand of the Amorite' -- for a thing decreed to be done, he speaks in the past tense. And so: 'he bent his shoulder to bear [the burden],' a star shall come forth from Jacob, and Jeshurun grew fat and kicked, and the LORD saw and spurned, and Israel dwelt in safety alone. And in David's prayer when he fled: 'He answered me from His holy mountain' -- for the Scripture said: 'in his fleeing' and not 'he fled,' and in his prayer 'but I will look yet again toward Your holy temple' -- which is the heavens, and the LORD in His holy temple -- and many like this. And there it is written: 'deliverance is the LORD's' -- which he was hoping for, as if 'deliverance is the LORD's' were an entreaty [to seek deliverance]. And there is one who says: that a female fish (dagah) swallowed the [male] fish -- and there is no need [for this], for dagah and dag are names of the species, like: tzedeq and tzedakah.
Radak
And Jonah prayed. It was a great miracle that he was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights and he was alive. And furthermore, another miracle: he was not stupefied, but stood in his mind and his intellect, and he prayed.
The fish. Like the fish, and it comes in the masculine and the feminine, as in: and the fish that is in the river died. And there is a midrash that it was female. And the mem in from the belly is not in place of a bet, but rather meaning to say that from within the distress he prayed. And so too: from the belly of Sheol I cried out, from the depths I called to You, O Lord; from the strait I called, O Lord.
Metzudat David
Out of the belly of the fish. Our Sages said: at first a male fish swallowed him, and he stood there at ease and did not devote his mind to praying; and the Omnipresent hinted to the fish, and it vomited him into the mouth of the female fish, and there he stood in distress because of the fetuses [in her womb], and he prayed from within the distress:
Malbim
"And he prayed from the belly of the fish." Our Sages said that he was first in the belly of a male fish, and afterward it vomited him and a female fish swallowed him, and it was cramped for him there from the eggs that were in her bowels. And in truth, the name "fish" includes male and female, and the name "dagah" is a collective name, as in "and the fish in the river died." And from what it wrote "from the belly of the dagah" it indicates that he was in her belly with a multitude of many fish. And from this it is clear that it was a female fish at the time of spawning, for already one fish contains tens of thousands of eggs which are many fish. And their words are true.
And he said: I called out of mine affliction To Hashem, and He answered me; Out of the belly of the nether-world cried I, And You heard my voice.
verse value 3776
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 49 letters. The shortest word is "to·me" (לִ֛י, 2 letters) and the longest is "to·Hashem" (אֶל־יְהֹוָ֖ה, 6 letters). 9 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jonah. Unique to this verse in Jonah (hapax): "I·called" (קָ֠רָ֠אתִי), "from·trouble" (מִצָּ֥רָה), "to·me" (לִ֛י). 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·Hashem" (root יהוה, 26x in Jonah); "and·said" (root אמר, 22x in Jonah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·answered·me', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 5 words. Full calculation: וַיֹּ֗אמֶר [and·said] (257) + קָ֠רָ֠אתִי [I·called] (711) + מִצָּ֥רָה [from·trouble] (335) + לִ֛י [to·me] (40) + אֶל־יְהֹוָ֖ה [to·Hashem] (57) + וַֽיַּעֲנֵ֑נִי [and·answered·me] (196) + מִבֶּ֧טֶן [from·belly·of] (101) + שְׁא֛וֹל [Sheol] (337) + שִׁוַּ֖עְתִּי [I·cried·out] (786) + שָׁמַ֥עְתָּ [you·heard] (810) + קוֹלִֽי [my·voice] (146) = 3776.
Rashi
“From the belly of Sheol I cry out.” From the belly of the fish, which is like Sheol to me.
Ibn Ezra
And he said, 'from the belly of Sheol' -- a deep place, the opposite of heaven which is on high.
Radak
And he said... And He answered me. Since he stood in his liveliness, he knew that he would go out from the belly of the fish in peace.
Metzudat David
I called. Behold, I called to the Lord because of the distress that is upon me, and I know that He will answer me, since I have survived all these days:
From the belly of Sheol. That is the fish, which is to him like the depths of Sheol:
You heard my voice. I am assured that You heard my voice:
Metzudat Zion
Mi-beten She'ol. I.e., from the depths of the grave.
Shivvaʿti. The sense of a cry, like "attend to the voice of my cry" (Psalms 9).
Malbim
Questions (verses 3-11): In this prayer come duplicated and repeated matters. What is written in verses 4-5 is repeated in verses 6-7 and tripled in verse 8. And why does the entire prayer come in the past tense — a difficulty already raised by the Ibn Ezra?
"And he said, I called." This prayer is divided into three parts. (Part A): He relates the time they cast him into the sea, when he despaired of life. But when the fish swallowed him, he lived in its bowels and saw that a miracle and wonder arose with him and he would live. (Part B): After the fish vomited him, he was cast a second time into the deep abyss and despaired a second time. And when the female fish swallowed him, he saw a second time that he would live. (Part C): When it was cramped for him in the belly of the female fish, he then took upon himself to hear the voice of God and go to Nineveh as God's word. And he said first in general terms: "I called from distress to the Lord, and He answered me"—referring to the two times he was cast into the sea and called to God and He answered him by the fish and the female fish swallowing him. And now: "from the belly of Sheol my cry," namely, the belly of the female fish, compared to Sheol, which was prepared to destroy him, and I trust that "You heard my voice," and You will bring me out to abundance/relief.
For You did cast me into the depth, In the heart of the seas, And the flood was round about me; All Your waves and Your billows Passed over me.
verse value 2607
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 51 letters. Notable word values: "in·heart·of" (בִּלְבַ֣ב) = 36, double chai. The shortest word is "upon·me" (עָלַ֥י, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·You·cast·me·away" (וַתַּשְׁלִיכֵ֤נִי, 8 letters). 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jonah. Unique to this verse in Jonah (hapax): "and·You·cast·me·away" (וַתַּשְׁלִיכֵ֤נִי), "depth" (מְצוּלָה֙), "in·heart·of" (בִּלְבַ֣ב). 10 unique roots are used. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'surrounded·me', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 4 words. Full calculation: וַתַּשְׁלִיכֵ֤נִי [and·You·cast·me·away] (826) + מְצוּלָה֙ [depth] (171) + בִּלְבַ֣ב [in·heart·of] (36) + יַמִּ֔ים [seas] (100) + וְנָהָ֖ר [in·river] (261) + יְסֹבְבֵ֑נִי [surrounded·me] (134) + כׇּל־מִשְׁבָּרֶ֥יךָ [all·your·breakers] (622) + וְגַלֶּ֖יךָ [and·Your·waves] (69) + עָלַ֥י [upon·me] (110) + עָבָֽרוּ [have·passed·over] (278) = 2607.
Rashi
"All your billows and waves." "All the billows of the sea," named so because the billow breaks and shatters the sea.
Ibn Ezra
And You cast me, seas -- like: 'on their rivers.' And Yefet said: that the Sea of Reeds mixes with the Sea of Joppa, and 'suf' (reeds) is like: 'and she placed it among the reeds,' because of its being close.
Radak
And He cast me into the deep, and the river surrounded me. The river that enters the sea. And the sage Rabbi Abraham Ibn Ezra explained that in the place of confluence he was with the river.
All Your breakers and Your waves. In the breaking of the waves of the sea at the time of the fury, they are called breakers.
Metzudat David
You cast me into the deep. Behold, You cast me into the depths with the might of the sea:
A river surrounded me. For there was the place where the waters of the river and the waters of the sea join:
They passed over me. For when they passed over the fish, they also passed over him while he was in its entrails:
Metzudat Zion
Mtzulah. So is called the depths of the waters; likewise "you cast them into the deeps" (Nehemiah 9).
Balevav. I.e., with strength; it is a borrowed term, for the heart is the strongest [organ] among living creatures.
Meshavereikh. So are called the waves of the sea, because it appears as though they break the sea and return and break again; likewise "at the crashing they cringe" (Job 41:17). The doubling of the word with synonymous terms: it says "and Your billows" — likewise "dust of the earth" (Daniel 12).
Malbim
"And You cast me" (Part A): He begins to explain what it said, "I called to the Lord from distress." First, You cast me into the deep in the midst of the sea—that which they cast him from the ship into the sea. "And a stream surrounded me,"—the name "stream" comes for drawing waters, and it is distinct from the sea, whose waters are standing and still. But then, the storm that erupted in the sea was from the abyss—the waters of the sea themselves were stirred and rose in surges downward—and it is called a stream, for then the waters did not stand but were drawn in a circle around themselves, and they surrounded him round and round. And then, "all Your breakers and Your waves passed over me"—he did not float on the waves as in the case of Rabbi Akiva, but fell into the depths of the sea where the waters flow downward and the waves passed over him from above.
And I said: ‘I am cast out From before Your eyes’; Yet I will look again Toward Your holy temple.
verse value 2692
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 46 letters. The shortest word is "indeed" (אַ֚ךְ, 2 letters) and the longest is "I·was·driven·out" (נִגְרַ֖שְׁתִּי, 6 letters). 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jonah. Unique to this verse in Jonah (hapax): "I·utteranced" (אָמַ֔רְתִּי), "I·was·driven·out" (נִגְרַ֖שְׁתִּי), "from·opposite" (מִנֶּ֣גֶד). 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "I·utteranced" (root אמר, 22x in Jonah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'your·eyes', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 5 words. Full calculation: וַאֲנִ֣י [and·I] (67) + אָמַ֔רְתִּי [I·utteranced] (651) + נִגְרַ֖שְׁתִּי [I·was·driven·out] (963) + מִנֶּ֣גֶד [from·opposite] (97) + עֵינֶ֑יךָ [your·eyes] (160) + אַ֚ךְ [indeed] (21) + אוֹסִ֣יף [I·will·add] (157) + לְהַבִּ֔יט [to·look] (56) + אֶל־הֵיכַ֖ל [to·palace] (96) + קׇדְשֶֽׁךָ [your·holiness] (424) = 2692.
Rashi
"And I said: When they cast me into the sea, behold, I am dying, and I have been driven from before Your eyes."
But. I have seen that You have kept me all these days; I have known that I shall add to gaze upon Your holy temple.
Ibn Ezra
And I, I was cast out from before Your eyes -- these are the heavens.
Radak
And I said, I am cast out. That I thought, when they cast me into the sea, that I am dying, and I am cast out from before Your eyes -- that is to say, from Your watchfulness over me -- until I thought that You had hidden Your face and Your eyes from me. But now, that You have done with me this great miracle, and I am still alive in the belly of the fish, I know that I will add yet to look upon Your holy temple -- in the Temple, and the place of prophecy, and the place of Your watchfulness -- You will yet return me to it, even though I fled from it. And the meaning of to look is: to pray toward the Temple.
Metzudat David
And I said. When they threw me into the sea, I thought, behold, I have been cast out from before Your eyes -- meaning, You have hidden Your eye from me:
Nevertheless I will yet behold. But now, since You have sustained me all these days, I am assured to emerge from this and I will yet behold again Your holy temple, to go there with a voice of thanksgiving:
Metzudat Zion
Nigrashti. From the root of "banishment, divorce."
Lehabbit. To see.
Malbim
"And I said," meaning, then I thought that I was driven away from before Your eyes. But from what I saw the miracle that the fish swallowed me and I remained alive, I saw that still Your eyes and Your watchfulness are upon me. And by this I knew that I would add to look toward Your holy temple.
The waters compassed me about, even to the soul; The deep was round about me; The weeds were wrapped about my head.
verse value 2409
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 36 letters. The shortest word is "water" (מַ֙יִם֙, 3 letters) and the longest is "surrounded·me" (אֲפָפ֤וּנִי, 6 letters). 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jonah. Unique to this verse in Jonah (hapax): "surrounded·me" (אֲפָפ֤וּנִי), "water" (מַ֙יִם֙), "until·soul" (עַד־נֶ֔פֶשׁ). 8 unique roots are used. First appearance of the root ראש ("to·my·head") in Jonah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'surrounded·me', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 3 words. Full calculation: אֲפָפ֤וּנִי [surrounded·me] (227) + מַ֙יִם֙ [water] (90) + עַד־נֶ֔פֶשׁ [until·soul] (504) + תְּה֖וֹם [deep] (451) + יְסֹבְבֵ֑נִי [surrounded·me] (134) + ס֖וּף [Suph] (146) + חָב֥וּשׁ [wrapped] (316) + לְרֹאשִֽׁי [to·my·head] (541) = 2409.
Rashi
"Reeds were bound about my head." [Targum: "The Sea of Reeds hangs above my head"] — for the Holy One, blessed be He, showed him the Sea of Reeds and how the Israelites passed through it, since the two eyes of the fish were like two windows, through which he looked and saw everything that was in the sea.
Ibn Ezra
Surrounded me. Until my soul -- until my soul reached death.
Radak
The waters surrounded me, even to the soul. The waters surrounded me until almost my soul went out from me, until the fish swallowed me. And so too: for the waters came even to the soul.
The weed was bound about my head. The sof is the reed, and there is of it that grows on the shore of the river or the sea, therefore they are called sof that it grows on its shore -- sof rab, meaning abundant reeds. And there is of it that grows in the bottom of the sea at the roots of the mountains, and it is what they call al-ga in the foreign tongue, and it is thin and long and wraps around the heads of fish. And this is what he said: the weed was bound about my head. And the meaning of my head is: the head of the fish that swallowed me, for he [Jonah] was like its [the fish's] head all the time that he was in the belly of the fish. And others say: sof = sea of Sof. And they say that the sea of Sof enters the sea of Jaffa. And according to this way the Targum translates: the sea of Sof hung above my head.
Metzudat David
Waters surrounded me. The waters surrounded me up to nearly the point of expelling the breath:
The deep surrounded me. A repetition of the matter in what was said:
Weed was wrapped about my head. For when the fish swam with him in the sea, the weed became entangled in the head of the fish, and as if it was entangled in his head, since he was in its entrails:
Metzudat Zion
Afafōni. The sense of surrounding and encircling, like "evils have surrounded me" (Psalms 40:13).
Tehom. The depths of the sea.
Suf. A kind of plant that grows in the water; likewise "the reed and the rush wither away" (Isaiah 19:6).
Chavush. The sense of binding or tying, like "and you did not bind up the broken" (Ezekiel 34:4).
Malbim
"They compassed me about," (Part B): afterward, when the fish vomited him a second time into the sea, then waters surrounded me to the soul. And not the waters on the surface of the sea as at first, but the abyss surrounded me, for the fish was with him in the depths of the abyss and there it vomited him. And "Yam Suf" [the Sea of Reeds]—that is the waters above the abyss, which are called by the name "Suf" [reeds] (for the fish led him through the Sea of Reeds, from where it led him to Nineveh)—was bound upon my head, for the sea was above his head after he was in the deep abyss.
I went down to the bottoms of the mountains; The earth with her bars closed upon me for ever; Yet have you brought up my life from the pit, O Hashem my God.
verse value 3248
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 51 letters. Notable word values: "behind" (בַעֲדִ֖י) = 86, equal to Elohim. The shortest word is "my·life" (חַיַּ֖י, 3 letters) and the longest is "to·the·bottoms·of" (לְקִצְבֵ֤י, 5 letters). 10 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jonah. Unique to this verse in Jonah (hapax): "to·the·bottoms·of" (לְקִצְבֵ֤י), "mountains" (הָרִים֙), "I·went·down" (יָרַ֔דְתִּי). 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 26x in Jonah). First appearance of the root חי ("my·life") in Jonah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·ever', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 5 words. Full calculation: לְקִצְבֵ֤י [to·the·bottoms·of] (232) + הָרִים֙ [mountains] (255) + יָרַ֔דְתִּי [I·went·down] (624) + הָאָ֛רֶץ [earth] (296) + בְּרִחֶ֥יהָ [her·bars] (225) + בַעֲדִ֖י [behind] (86) + לְעוֹלָ֑ם [to·ever] (176) + וַתַּ֧עַל [and·went·up] (506) + מִשַּׁ֛חַת [from·pit] (748) + חַיַּ֖י [my·life] (28) + יְהֹוָ֥ה [Hashem] (26) + אֱלֹהָֽי [my·God] (46) = 3248.
Rashi
"I sank to the base of the mountains." I descended to the end of the measure of the mountains that are fixed upon the abyss:
I said, "The bars of the earth were against me." "Against me" means that above me it is closed, and I shall never go out. "Against me" is like [the phrase in] II Kings 4:4, "and you shall shut the door against yourself." And so is every instance of "against" [be'ad] in Scripture: "skin against skin" (Job 1), meaning limb against limb.
"Forever." This refers to what was said above: "And I said, I am cast out"; and [now] I said, "the earth, its bars, were closed upon me forever."
"Yet You brought up my life from the pit." Yet I had already seen Gehinnom here, and from there You brought me up, and behold, I now stand opposite the underside of the Temple that is in Jerusalem, as in the matter that is stated: "Yet I will again look toward Your holy Temple," and "my prayer came to You, into Your holy Temple."
Ibn Ezra
To the foundations -- places where the mountains are hewn, from the root 'he hewed the tree.'
And the earth -- closed her bars against me -- that I could not go out to be upon the earth.
Yet You brought up my life from the pit -- figuratively for his soul, which is truly his life.
Radak
I went down to the foundations of the mountains. To the ends of the mountains that are in the sea -- that is to say, to their foundations, which is the bottom of the sea. And katzev and katz are one; and as the Targum renders: 'to the roots of the mountains I went down.'
The earth barred me with its bars forever. At first I thought that the earth, which is the dry land, had its bars against me -- that is to say, that it was fleeing from me such that I would not come to it forever, and that the sea would be my grave. And afterwards, since I am alive in the belly of the fish, I know that You raised up my life from the pit, and the pit is the grave. And I will come out yet to the dry land.
"O Lord my God": Who judged me with justice. And Targum Yonatan renders: 'the earth drew [around me] with its might,' and so on.
Metzudat David
To the roots of the mountains. To the ends of the mountains that are embedded in the sea, and that is the bottom of the sea:
I went down. While I was in the belly of the fish:
The earth with its bars forever against me. He means to say: I thought that the earth had barred me with its bars forever, for I would not return to it -- as if it had locked itself with bars:
And You brought up my life from the pit. But since You sustained me all these days, I hope that You will bring up my life from the pit -- the grave, which is the belly of the fish:
Metzudat Zion
Likatzevai. The sense of an end and termination; it is from "and he cut off a stick" (II Kings 6), for the end of something cut is at the place where it was cut.
Bericheha. From "bar" — a bolt, like a bar placed across the door to close it.
Vaʿadi. Before me or opposite me; likewise "and shut the door behind you" (II Kings 4).
Mishaḥat. The sense of a pit or excavation, like "in the pit they were caught" (Ezekiel 19).
Malbim
"To the roots of the mountains I went down," that he was in the depths of the abyss beneath the mountains, for the mountains cover the abyss from above, until the earth that covers the abyss beneath the earth placed its bolts against me forever—that it was not possible that he would float on the surface of the waters, for upon him was the earth that is on the abyss, closing like a bolt and doors. And even so, "and You brought up my life from the pit," that is through the female fish swallowing him a second time and he remained alive a second time. And all of this explains what it said, "I called to the Lord from distress and He answered me."
When my soul fainted within me, I remembered Hashem; And my prayer came in to You, Into Your holy temple.
verse value 4096
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 48 letters. Verse gematria: 4096 = 64². The shortest word is "upon·me" (עָלַי֙, 3 letters) and the longest is "when·faints" (בְּהִתְעַטֵּ֤ף, 6 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jonah. Unique to this verse in Jonah (hapax): "when·faints" (בְּהִתְעַטֵּ֤ף), "my·soul" (נַפְשִׁ֔י), "I·remembered" (זָכָ֑רְתִּי). 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 26x in Jonah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'I·remembered', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 5 words. Full calculation: בְּהִתְעַטֵּ֤ף [when·faints] (566) + עָלַי֙ [upon·me] (110) + נַפְשִׁ֔י [my·soul] (440) + אֶת־יְהֹוָ֖ה [Hashem] (427) + זָכָ֑רְתִּי [I·remembered] (637) + וַתָּב֤וֹא [and·she·came] (415) + אֵלֶ֙יךָ֙ [to·You] (61) + תְּפִלָּתִ֔י [my·prayer] (920) + אֶל־הֵיכַ֖ל [to·palace] (96) + קׇדְשֶֽׁךָ [your·holiness] (424) = 4096.
Rashi
"When [my soul] grows faint" — [in the vernacular: ashtalehiyot]. And likewise, "when their soul grows faint"; and likewise, "ba'atof olel" [when the infant swoons] (Lamentations 2).
Ibn Ezra
When my soul fainted -- like: 'when he is faint' [Ps. 102:1].
Radak
When my soul fainted within me. This expression is said concerning great distress, in which the soul of a person is shortened. And so too: their soul shall faint within them. He said: when I was in distress, my soul -- when the fish swallowed me -- at first I thought as if I were dying. And even with all this, the Lord blessed be He I remembered, and I prayed to Him.
And my prayer came to You. And since I remained so, alive in the belly of the fish, I knew that my prayer came to You.
To Your holy temple. It is the heavens; and so too it is said: 'In His holy temple; the LORD, in heaven, has established His throne.' And according to this way it is said: 'And their prayer came to His holy habitation, the heavens.'
Metzudat David
When my soul fainted within me. When my soul was upon me, wrapped in anguish and tormented, I remembered the Lord to pray before Him; and behold, my prayer came to You, to Your holy temple -- that is the heavens:
Metzudat Zion
Behitattef. From "wrapping" or "clothing"; for when a person is in distress he is anguished and bent over, as though one part of him is wrapped around another; likewise "those bent double with hunger" (Lamentations 2).
Malbim
"When I fainted" (Part C): He explains what it said, "from the belly of Sheol my cry." For now, when my soul fainted over me—that it was near to death in the belly of the female fish from the pressure of the spawn in her bowels—I remembered the Lord, now I remembered to pray and return in repentance, and to promise that I would fulfill the word of the Lord. And "my prayer came to You, to Your holy temple." And our Sages said that he was in the abyss beneath Mount Zion, on which stands the Holy Temple, regarding which he said, "to the roots of the mountains I went down." And "You heard my prayer from the Holy Temple."
They that regard lying vanities Forsake their own mercy.
verse value 1191
Insights
Verse structure: 4 words, 22 letters. The shortest word is "their·mercy" (חַסְדָּ֖ם, 4 letters) and the longest is "lying·vanities" (הַבְלֵי־שָׁ֑וְא, 7 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jonah. Unique to this verse in Jonah (hapax): "who·regard" (מְשַׁמְּרִ֖ים), "lying·vanities" (הַבְלֵי־שָׁ֑וְא), "their·mercy" (חַסְדָּ֖ם). 4 unique roots are used. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'lying·vanities', dividing the verse into phrases of 2 and 2 words. Full calculation: מְשַׁמְּרִ֖ים [who·regard] (630) + הַבְלֵי־שָׁ֑וְא [lying·vanities] (354) + חַסְדָּ֖ם [their·mercy] (112) + יַעֲזֹֽבוּ [they·will·leave] (95) = 1191.
Rashi
They guard what is vain and futile: those who serve idolatry.
"Their kindness they forsake." [This refers to] the fear of the Holy One, blessed be He — for all their kindness and benefit is from Him — which they forsake. But I am not so; rather, "with the voice of thanksgiving I will sacrifice to You." So did Targum Yonatan render it, and Pirkei de-Rabbi Eliezer expounded this with reference to the sailors, who abandoned the devotion they used to show idols, and converted [to Judaism].
Ibn Ezra
Of those who keep -- a transitive verb, and the meaning is the men of the ship who were calling out to Him; and each proves the other.
And the word 'chesed' (their chesed) -- that they thought they were doing kindness, or its meaning is like: 'it is a disgrace' [as in Leviticus 20:17, where chesed means reproach].
Radak
They who cling to empty folly. The men of the ship, who were idol worshippers -- they are 'those who cling to empty folly' -- I knew that after they were delivered from the distress they would forsake their own devotion -- that they feared the LORD and cried out to Him and vowed vows, [but] would not fulfill what they vowed, and would return to the service of their gods. But I am not so, for with the voice of thanksgiving I will sacrifice to You.
They that keep. It is not a transitive verb, but rather it is like shomerim [those who guard]. And some interpret: 'their disgrace they will forsake' -- from chesed [in its other sense, of disgrace], meaning that they will forsake their idols, which are a chesed [disgrace] and a nevalah [vile, abominable thing]. And so it is in Pirkei D'Rabbi Eliezer: when the sailors saw, when they arrived at Nineveh, all the miracles that the Holy One, blessed be He, did with Jonah, they arose and each cast his god into the sea, as it is said: 'they that keep after vain things -- their disgrace they will forsake.' They returned to Jaffa and went up to Jerusalem, and they circumcised the flesh of their foreskin, as it is said: 'and the men feared the LORD with a great fear, and they offered sacrifices' -- but did they [really] offer a sacrifice? Rather, this is the blood of the covenant of circumcision, which is like the blood of a sacrifice. And they vowed to bring, each one, his wife and his sons and all that is his, to fear the LORD, the God of Jonah. And they vowed and fulfilled [their vows]. And concerning them it says: 'concerning the proselytes, the righteous proselytes.' And the Targum [Yonatan] renders: 'not like the nations who worship falsehood,' and so forth.
Metzudat David
Those who observe vanities. They are the men of the ship, who observe vanities -- that is idolatry. I know that they will forsake their lovingkindness and will not fulfill what they vowed in the time of distress:
Metzudat Zion
Havlei. From "hevel" — empty breath, vanity; a thing that has no substance.
Malbim
"Those who regard vanities." Now that he took upon himself to go to Nineveh and admonish them according to God's word, he said to himself words of consolation: are not these the people of Nineveh who regard vain emptiness and believe in idolatry? Is it possible that they will abandon their "kindness," that they will abandon their idols (from the language of kindness and shame)? Certainly they will not return from their sin of idolatry in their hands. Or, meaning: even if they return for a time, will they not afterward abandon their kindness and again incur destruction?
But I will sacrifice to You With the voice of thanksgiving; That which I have vowed I will pay. Salvation is of Hashem.
verse value 3081
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 43 letters. Verse gematria: 3081 is divisible by 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "that" (אֲשֶׁ֥ר, 3 letters) and the longest is "I·will·sacrifice·to·You" (אֶזְבְּחָה־לָּ֔ךְ, 7 letters). 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jonah. Unique to this verse in Jonah (hapax): "voice" (בְּק֤וֹל), "confession" (תּוֹדָה֙), "I·will·sacrifice·to·You" (אֶזְבְּחָה־לָּ֔ךְ). 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·Hashem" (root יהוה, 26x in Jonah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'I·will·pay', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 2 words. Full calculation: וַאֲנִ֗י [and·I] (67) + בְּק֤וֹל [voice] (138) + תּוֹדָה֙ [confession] (415) + אֶזְבְּחָה־לָּ֔ךְ [I·will·sacrifice·to·You] (73) + אֲשֶׁ֥ר [that] (501) + נָדַ֖רְתִּי [I·vowed] (664) + אֲשַׁלֵּ֑מָה [I·will·pay] (376) + יְשׁוּעָ֖תָה [salvation] (791) + לַיהֹוָֽה [to·Hashem] (56) = 3081.
Rashi
“Her salvation is from the Lord.” [This teaches that] the vows of peace-offerings and thank-offerings I shall pay to the Name of the Lord, [who is] the salvation that is His; “Her salvation” is like “to His salvation.” And similarly, “Arise, be our help” (Psalms 44:27) [means] “be help to us.”
Ibn Ezra
And I, who had vowed -- in the belly of the fish.
Radak
And I, with the voice of thanksgiving. That I will thank You with the voice of thanksgiving within the congregation. And I will sacrifice to You -- a thanksgiving sacrifice, as I vowed.
Deliverance is the LORD's. Meaning: and I say that the salvation is the LORD's alone, Who saved me with a great wonder that He did for me.
Metzudat David
But I. But I, I will sacrifice to You with the voice of thanksgiving and praise for the miracle; and what I vowed I will pay, because the salvation is the Lord's:
Malbim
"And I," therefore "I will sacrifice to You with the voice of thanksgiving," for four must give thanks—those who go to sea, etc. Meaning, I will bring a sacrifice of thanksgiving and thank You for Your kindness. And also, "what I have vowed I will pay"—to go to Nineveh. And regarding what I feared that through the king of Assyria evils would come to Israel, for which reason I restrained myself from going, as stated above: "Salvation is of the Lord"—I hope that God will save Israel from all their troubles.
And Hashem spoke to the fish, and it vomited out Jonah upon the dry land.
verse value 1262
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 29 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֖ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "to·the·fish" (לַדָּ֑ג, 3 letters) and the longest is "to·the·dry·land" (אֶל־הַיַּבָּשָֽׁה, 7 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jonah. Unique to this verse in Jonah (hapax): "to·the·fish" (לַדָּ֑ג), "and·it·vomited·out" (וַיָּקֵ֥א). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 26x in Jonah); "and·said" (root אמר, 22x in Jonah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·the·fish', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: וַיֹּ֥אמֶר [and·said] (257) + יְהֹוָ֖ה [Hashem] (26) + לַדָּ֑ג [to·the·fish] (37) + וַיָּקֵ֥א [and·it·vomited·out] (117) + אֶת־יוֹנָ֖ה [Jonah] (472) + אֶל־הַיַּבָּשָֽׁה [to·the·dry·land] (353) = 1262.
Ibn Ezra
And He said -- figuratively, that it was compelled to do God's will.
Radak
And the Lord spoke to the fish. He aroused its desire that it would vomit him upon the dry land.
Metzudat David
And the Lord commanded. Meaning, He stirred its heart to vomit him:
The fish. It is possible that after the prayer, the female fish returned to vomit him into the mouth of the male fish, to stand at ease:
And he vomited. Meaning, just as He stirred its heart, so it did, and it vomited him onto the dry land:
Metzudat Zion
Vayaqe. The sense of bringing forth through the mouth, like "lest you be full of it and vomit it out" (Proverbs 25:16).
Malbim
"And the Lord said to the fish." He aroused the spirit of the fish to go with him to the shore of the sea and vomit him onto the dry land. And our Sages said in Pirkei De-Rabbi Eliezer that the fish went with him nine hundred sixty-five parsas. A remembrance of their words: "to the Lord" and "the Lord said to the fish" and "and the fish vomited out Jonah"—in gematria: "so it was."
Rashi
Ibn Ezra
Radak
Metzudat David
Metzudat Zion
Malbim